Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness recently opened up on the club’s process of eventually hiring Niko Kovac as their next manager.
The Bavarians made it official on Friday that Niko Kovac will become the first team manager following Jupp Heynckes’ departure. Kovac signed a three-year deal with Bayern Munich and will take over in the summer.
Kovac’s appointment is quite a surprise despite the Croatian’s good work at Eitracht Frankfurt. Bayern Munich’s president, Uli Hoeness, has admitted that Kovac was not the club’s first choice for the post. While speaking with the media on Saturday (via Goal), Hoeness admitted that Kovac was third on their managerial list.
"“It was portrayed as having been a desperate search. Both of us and Hasan have tried for a very, very long time to persuade Jupp.“When we realized in a final, final conversation that he was not doing it, we approached Thomas Tuchel. He told us that he had already decided to join another club.”"
Hoeness has previously admitted that the club will try to convince Jupp Heynckes to stay beyond this season. The German joined the club on interim basis in October after Carlo Ancelotti was sacked due to a series of poor performances. Heynckes has always made it clear that he has no intention to be in management beyond this season.
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Thomas Tuchel was tipped as the favourite to replace Heynckes next year. The German had done well at Dortmund but left the club last summer on mutual terms. He was without a job this year and Bayern were his likeliest destination. However Tuchel has chosen Paris Saint Germain over Bayern Munich according to multiple reports.
Kovac satisfies Bayern’s condition of knowing the German language fluently. The Croatian won a Bundesliga with Bayern during his playing days. He has done a fantastic job at Eintracht Frankfurt as they are in the hunt of grabbing a top six finish in the Bundesliga. Kovac knows Bayern inside out and it will be interesting to see how he takes Bayern forward especially in the European competitions.
Bayern Munich were also criticised by Frankfurt for the way they have handled the situation. Kovac had previously admitted that he had no contact with Bayern Munich. However the things moved very rapidly last week and Bayern Munich decided to make the Croatian as their new manager.
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Uli Hoeness has blasted the criticism of Bayern’s conduct in this situation. He admitted that they activated the release clause in Kovac’s contract. The Bavarians informed Frankfurt immediately so that they are able to plan about the new coach. Kovac is not every fan’s favourable choice but Bayern have surely learnt the lesson from the problems they faced during Ancelotti’s tenure. It will be interesting to see how Kovac adapts to a bigger club after doing well at Frankfurt.